Ace Labels (original) (raw)

I've identified as asexual for nigh-on 4 years (ok, for 3 years, 8 months, 8 days...), and I still really hate the word. (If you're new to this, check this out!: www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/asexual)

It sounds very sterile. It's etymology is based upon absence, upon lack. It gets mixed up with asexual reproduction ('No, I cannot have my own babies. No, you're the one who's misused the term...'). The very word causes some of the misconceptions... 'I thought it meant without gender'. It calls asexuality a lack of sexuality, which isn't necessarily correct... I know a fair few people who describe feelings and behaviours that can be called sensual, if not outright sexual, whilst still being asexual themselves. It requires an asexual to add another label saying who they'd have a relationship with (if anyone)... How does one state in one word of less than 5 syllables that they're a panromantic asexual? Without going into the nuances that entails. It gets tiring.

Then again, other sexuality groups don't get called 'heterosexual', 'bisexual' or 'homosexual'... because those sound pretty sterile too. No one says 'Oh, I'm heterosexual.' No, if a label we must have, 6 syllables is too long. One will do much better.

On the good ol' AVEN forums, asexual is shortened to 'a' very frequently. 'I'm a.' But then, if said in the real world... 'I'm a.' 'You're a... what?' And it does sound like 'gay'. 'You're gay?' 'No, a!' So what other shortening can we have?

Ase works fine. Ase. Ace.

Well, gay does mean happy and brightly coloured. Ace may be a strange, 80s expression of approval and coolness, but surely we can appropriate it? It even works with the other labels... I'm pan-ace.

Ace. Perhaps 'ase' might be the best spelling for now, so people are aware of its root (especially written down, it isn't as obvious). But we all know the easy step internet slang takes to become the spoken word - I know I've said 'lol' aloud, roflmao. And 'ase' and 'ace' sound remarkably similar.

I'm such an ace individual!